Automatic knuckle-opener.



No. 813,930. PATENTBD FEB. 27 1906. N. WARNER &G. W. JAGOBS.

AUTOMATIC KNUCKLE OPENER.

APPLIOATIOH nun man. a. was. nmmwnn IA]. 21. 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN WARNER AND GEORGE W. JACOBS, OF GLENNS FERRY, IDAHO.

AUTOMATIC KNUCKLE-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed February 9, 1965. Renewed January 2'7, 1906. Serial No. 298.2 6-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NORMAN WARNER and GEORGE W. JACOBS, citizens of the United States, residing at Glenns Ferry, in the county of Elmore and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticKnuckle-Openers,of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to car-couplers, and more particularly to means susceptible of embodlment in or designed to be applied to a car-coupler in which one of the interlocking members is a pivoted knuckle, as in carcouplers of the Master Car-Builders type, for automatically opening the knuckle as soon as released from the cooperating knuckle or art carried by the opposing draft-beam or rom the ordinary locking-pin and for maintaining the knuckle in open position or set to receive the companion knuckle or coopersting part, and thereby entirely obviating the necessity of a trainman entering between .two cars for the purpose of positioning the knuckle reparatory to the coupling thereof.

The ol ject of the invention is to provide means of the character defined which is particularly simple and durable in construction and highly efficient in use.

The invention includes the parts, the combination and arrangement of parts, and the details of construction to be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention is susceptible of var ing embodiments, and a preferable exemp ification of the same is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in plan view one coupling member of conventional construction equi ped with our improved opening mechanism or the knuckle, the latter being shown in its locked osition. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the knuckle in its open position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the opening mechanism detached from the coupler, and Fig. 4 is an edge view of the opening-lever.

In the accompanying drawings a conventional construction of coupler provided with an interlocking knuckle is shown as equipped with our 0 ening mechanism. A fragment of a builerlock is indicated by a, the drawbar by b, and the head of the latter by c. The interlocking knuckle associated with the head is designated by d and is of the usual construction, being pivotally mounted in the head 0 and provided with an inner arm d and an outer arm d A conventional construction of locking mechanism for the knuckle is also shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the same includin a locking element, as a ineand a lever f, designed to be 0 erated l' fom a point remote from the coup er-head for lifting the element 2 to free the knuckle.

The particular exemplification of our invention shown in the accompanying drawings includes a lover of the first order having one arm connected to the arm (1 and its other arm connected to means which tend when the knuckle is in closed position to draw the latter arm inwardly or toward the buffer-block, and thereby force the first arm of the lover which is connected to the arm cl outwardly. The lever is designated by g and is preferably mounted upon an end of the pivot-pin h of the knuckle, which is projected throu h the upper side of the head c. As here SilOWIl, the lever 9 comprises a central eye or for the reception of the pivot-pin h, an integral arm at, having an obliquely-extending part a terminating in avertically-depending part if, which loosely fits within an orifice in the end of the arm d of the knuckle, and a second arm 0, extending beyond the vertical wall of the head 0 and provided adjacent its end with an engaging part for the tensioning means.

The tensioning means here shown comprises a helical spring 1:), interposed between the end of the arm o and the buffer-block c and connected at its opposite ends to said parts, res ectively. The connectionbetween the end 0 the sprin and the buffer-block a is preferably secured by means of an eyebolt r, and the connection between the outer end of the sprin and the arm 0 of the lever g is preferably 0 tained by roviding said outer end with a laterally-dc ected portion which coacts with the engaging part on the arm 0.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, when the knuckle g occupies its inward position, as when in engagement with the coacting-knucklc associ ated with a companion head or when locked by element 2, the spring is strained, so that as soon as the knuckle is heed the spring, acting through the lever 9, will immediately throw the knuckle (1 into its outward 081- tion, as shown in Fig. 2, and will yicldmgly maintain the knuckle in this osition until the same is again forced inward y by engagement with the coacting part of a companion coupling mechanism.

The construction and operation of the herein-described invention will be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, and it will be appreciated that the parts and combinations recited may be varied within a wide range without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention,what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a car-coupling mechanism including a pivoted knuckle, of means tending to maintain said knuckle in position to engage a coacting coupling part associated with a companion coupling mechanism, said means including a lever mounted on the pivot pin of the knuckle and having an arm coacting with the knuckle, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car-con )ling mechanism including a pivoted knuckle, of means for automatically throwing the knuckle when freed in its open position and for yieldingly maintaining said knuckle in said open position, said means including a lever having an en agement with the interlocking arm of the Trnuckle, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a car-coupling mechanism including a pivoted knuckle, of a lever pivotally mounted outside of the coup lin -head, said lever being connected at one en to one arm of the knuckle, and means associated with the lever for automatically shifting the same for throwing the knuckle into open position.

4. The combination with a car-coupling mechanism including a pivoted knuckle, of a pivoted lever having an arm connected to the interlocking arm of the knuckle and a second arm, and tensioning means connected to said second arm.

5. The combination with a car-coupling mechanism including a pivoted knuckle, of a pivoted lever having an arm connected to the interlockin arm of the knuckle, and a second arm, an( a spring interposed between the second arm and a fixed part.

6. The combination with a buffer-block, a draw-bar head and a knuckle pivoted there in, of a lever mounted upon said head having one arm connected to the knuckle, and a see ond arm extending at an angle to the first, and a spring interposed between the second arm and the bufler-bloek.

7. The combination with a ear-coupling mechanism including a head and a knuckle pivoted therein, of a lever mounted upon the end of the pivot-pin of the knuckle projecting through the top face of the head, a connection between one arm of the lever and the outer arm of the knuckle, and a spring interposed between a second arm of the lever and. a part fixed relatively to the head.

8. The combination witli a coupling mech anism includin a head and a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, of a lever having a central eye to receive a pivot-pin, an integral arm extending obliquely from the eye and terminating in a vertically-depending part engaging the outer arm of the knuckle, a second integral arm extending from the eye, and tensioning means eoacting with the latter arm.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names, in the presence of two at testing witnesses, at Glenns Ferry, in the county of Elmore and State of Idaho, this 30th day of January, 1905.

NORMAN WARNER. GEORGE W. JACOBS.

Witnesses:

IRA BLACK, DELL B. WARNER. 

